Most people probably know the Peter Pan story whether or not they have read the book. He is such a famous figure and there are a couple of movies out there. I read the book in my teens so my memory of the book is, well not that good, but I have seen movies so I think I know the story quite well.

I must admit that the cover was one of the reasons for that made me request the book that and it seemed to be a much darker story. I was a bit wary about it being YA since I really don't like reading YA that much, but it turned out that this story was a bit darker than I expect from YA books. But it could be that I just haven't read the right YA books.

This retelling is truly darker than the original story. The Lost boys and Peter Pan and their adventures with the pirates are much more lethal. Here, we have boys that really fight pirates that stab them with swords, etc. and Peter Pan is really adapt to killing pirates. And, the pirates kill Lost boys as well. I mean one of the Lost Boys gets his throat cut.

I was a bit annoyed with John, Wendy's brother. He was just awfully rude and spiteful throughout the book towards Wendy. I just didn't like him very much, but Wendy's little brother Michael was sweet. Then, there is Peter Pan. He is still very much full of himself and frankly not a very nice person. Since this is a YA is Wendy's relationship with Peter Pan a bit more mature. Well no sex, but much more kissing and stuff.

But I had some problem connecting with the story. It was good, I liked the retelling and I liked the darker tone. I just really didn't fully enjoy the book. It felt that something was missing. I have a suspicious feeling that the next book in this series will be better since one very special person didn't make an appearance until the very last minute. And, that makes me eager to read the next book since I think that person's present will make the story more intriguing.

Thanks to SparkPress and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! ( )

Wendy Darling has always adhered to her parents’ and society’s rules and expectations for a sixteen-year-old girl in Victorian England–except when it comes to her secret love for the local bookshop owner’s son, Booth. When Wendy’s father finds out about her relationship with Booth, he forbids her to see the boy again. On this night, a chance to escape her constraints flies through the Darling children’s bedroom window, and his name is Peter Pan. Mesmerized by this magical boy, Wendy and her bothers, John and Michael, follow Peter on to the second star on the right and straight on till morning–to Neverland. Here the Darling children find freedom, fun, and adventure, but as they spend more time in Neverland, they begin to forget who they are and where they came from. For Wendy, Peter’s grip on her tightens and she becomes more enraptured with him. Before too long, Wendy starts to see that the veil Neverland has cast over her eyes might mask a darker and more nightmarish truth.

The last time I reviewed Colleen Oakes’s work was for her Queen of Hearts series, which is one of my favorite retelling/fantasy series. I love it because it is an example of masterful world-building and storytelling. Oakes, as I said, has a skill for balancing the classic story with her contemporary version, allowing both worlds to coexist in a new, brilliant, and lively story.

Oakes does it again with her new series, Wendy Darling, and the series’ first installment, Stars. This time, Oakes transports us to Victorian England and Neverland in an enthralling and imaginative look at J.M Barrie’s classic Peter Pan. Wendy Darling: Stars is vivid, exciting, and it sucked me in from the first pages. It is also incredibly unique for its darker exploration of this classic tale. We all know Peter as the lovable and mischievous hero that battles Captain Hook and saves Neverland time and again, but this isn’t that Peter, and this isn’t that Neverland. This looks at the “other side” what and who Peter could be inside and the truth that might lay behind the magic of Neverland.

Peter is possessive, dark, villainous, and rules the Lost Boys with a military-style hierarchy. He raids Hook’s territory like a Viking would Britannia (not quite to that extreme, but you get the point). Wendy is the typical sixteen-year-old who loves to fall in love and becomes enraptured by the boy she shouldn’t like–a boy who plays games with her life, imprisons her at his whim. There is palpable tension between the Darling children, which is a refreshing change to the bubbly original. It’s clear characters will fall, need redemption, saving, and growth. Particularly important to me was that Wendy becomes the heroine in every sense of the word. She has to become the savior for herself and her brothers. I always like seeing female characters save themselves, not needing the male to ride in on a white horse.

Oakes’s works are always well-written, lyrical, and swift. The characters are interesting, believable, and they drive the story onward in an action-packed and mysterious tale that will surely leave readers thirsty for the next volume in the series as it did me. Wendy Darling: Stars is ultimately masterful in every way.

Everyone needs to add this book to their holiday and winter shopping list; it’s unputdownable and completely thrilling. I love it and recommend it unreservedly. ( )

Wendy Darling: A Novel by Colleen Oakes is the first volume in the new series. It is a unique and interesting re-telling of the classic Peter Pan story!

It is a fantastical tale that is full of magic, plenty of action and suspense, a bit of romance along with some mystery as well. The story takes some rather unexpected events that will most definitely keep you on the edge of your seat. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

Thanks to Spark Press and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this book in exchange for an honest review. ( )

I got copy of this book to review through NetGalley. Previous to this book I had read The Child Thief by Brom and Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen, both were Peter Pan retellings that I really enjoyed. This book was okay, but pretty slow and predictable. Also a quick caution this book is the start to a new series and doesn’t resolve anything.

Wendy Darling is living a perfectly respectable life in London, her only issue being her budding romance with Booth which her mother doesn’t approve of. Then Peter Pan shows up one night and whisks Wendy and her brothers to Neverland. At first Wendy is overwhelmed with joy at the beauty and freedom of Neverland. However as time goes on she realizes she is forgetting her former life and that life with the Lost Boys is not what it seems.

This book starts out very slowly (you are 30% of the way through the book before you even get to Neverland). The book follows the Disney version of Neverland (and maybe the original book which I have ironically never read) very closely in the beginning. It’s pretty boring because it’s something most of us have either seen or read before.

I had trouble engaging with the characters. Wendy is somewhat despicable, her beau Booth is right...she is not brave and she is not committed. She is blown away by Peter’s good looks and attention and is a fairly shallow heroine. This changes some as the book goes on. Probably my favorite character in the book is Wendy’s little brother Michael, who is very sweet and honest and resists the corruption of Neverland more than anyone else. Tink is an interesting character but she also seemed a bit shallow and one dimensional to me and she isn’t in the story much.

This book is marketed as showing readers the dark side of Neverland and I guess it kind of does in a very light YA kind of way. However, it was fairly predictable and never all that dark or surprising. This is just the start of a series and I wish it had been marketed as such; the story pretty much stops right in the middle without any resolution which left me frustrated and disappointed.

The most positive thing about this book is that it is beautifully written with excellent description.

I think part of my issue with this book is that I have read much better retellings of Peter Pan. Brom wrote a retelling of the Peter Pan story called The Child Thief, which was amazing and incredibly dark. Lisa Jensen wrote a spectacular retelling of the Peter Pan story called Alias Hook which I absolutely adored; this is a version that is sympathetic to Captain Hook and told an amazing twist to the Peter Pan story.

Overall I found Wendy Darling to a bit empty, fluffy, and incomplete; it’s okay but nothing special. It does have some excellent imagery, but if you are truly interested in a creative retelling of the Peter Pan story check out The Child Thief by Brom or Alias Hook by Lisa Jensen. ( )